Kenny Atkinson has three seasons remaining on his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers and there are many reasons for him to be retained as head coach this offseason, but he could also be a candidate as a "fall guy" should the franchise want someone to take on the blame for their performance in the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks.

"Listen, I have confidence, confidence in myself first of all, confidence in the group," said Atkinson on Monday when asked about his job security.

Atkinson guided the Cavaliers to Game 7 victories in each of the first two rounds and had a 22-point lead at the Knicks in Game 1. But the Cavaliers squandered the lead and were never truly competitive again for the remainder of the series. Atkinson defended both James Harden's defensive acumen and his decision not to call timeouts to stop the Knicks' runs after the Game 1 loss. Atkinson also said ahead of Game 4 that the Cavaliers had "analytically" won two of the first three games of the series.

Atkinson and the front office have not always been synced up, even going back to when he was hired as head coach to replace J.B. Bickerstaff in 2024. Some members of the front office preferred James Borrego for the job, but Dan Gilbert had a preference for Atkinson. When the Cavaliers struggled early in the regular season, those front office executives were examining Atkinson.

Gilbert hasn't shown any signs of not supporting Atkinson at this point. Atkinson also has continued to have the support of Donovan Mitchell and was key in incorporating James Harden.

NBA front offices have recently been more willing to make changes to the head coach despite apparent success. The Knicks, for example, fired Tom Thibodeau after they reached the Conference Finals last season and that decision has no been vindicated as they've advanced to the Finals.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst also alluded to monitoring potential changes this week with the Cavaliers while not offering specifics on his podcast following Game 4.